Mr Brightside
by Milk Maiden
Summary: Lucy turns down a job with Natsu to keep plans with someone else. The whole thing has Natsu feeling confused and a little hurt. What could be more important than spending time with him and being able to pay her precious rent? Jealous!Natsu Some adult themes and language; adventure in later chapters. Mostly from Natsu's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

"Lucy!" Natsu called excitedly, flinging an arm around the blonde's shoulder just as she was taking a drink from her mug at the bar. His grin stretched wide across his face as the celestial spirit mage choked and sputtered in surprise at his sudden attack. "Let's go on a job today! There's some really good ones on the request board ever since we won the Grand Magic Games, and isn't your rent due soon?"

Gasping for air and trying desperately to calm her racing heart, Lucy turned to face her friend and struggled to hide the blush she could feel creeping into her cheeks. She gave the dragon slayer a slight shove and avoided his eyes as she said, "I can't today, Natsu, I have a - uh...I have plans." She glanced up at him through her bangs, trying to covertly gauge his reaction.

Natsu looked confused for a split second before grinning widely again and saying simply, "So cancel them! Or if it's something important you can always reschedule. Don't wanna miss out on all the best jobs!"

This time she could do nothing to hide the blush as she looked him right in the eye and said, "Not this time, Natsu. Maybe tomorrow," before getting up from the bar and walking away and out of the guild. Natsu tried to go after him, but Mira caught him by his scarf and slid him a mug of flaming liquid. She smiled in that strange way she had like she knew something he didn't...and it was juicy.

"Oi! What'd ya try an' stop me for, Mira!?" Natsu snapped irritably as he leaned over the bar, glaring at her suspiciously. "Something wrong with Lucy? She's always complaining about needing money for rent, and this time I _offer_ to help her out and she says no?" Mira just smiled brightly and Natsu flopped down on a bar stool, grumbling under his breath in between sips of his flaming beverage.

"Oh, Natsu, you are just too cute sometimes!" Mira gushed, bringing her hands to her cheeks as she giggled. Natsu muttered something about dragon slayers not being "cute" and Mira replied, flashing a devilish look his way, "Dragon slayers are _especially_ cute when they are _jealous_."

This time, it was Natsu's turn to choke and sputter on his drink. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head and his jaw dropped in shock. "Whaaaaat?" he barely managed to choke out.

"Oh, Natsu, you are just _too cute_ sometimes!" Mira repeated, patting him on the head and giggling even more. "The girl you like turns down spending time with you in favor of keeping plans with someone else! Of _course_ you are jealous!" At this point, her gaze turned sympathetic and she moved to pat his back comfortingly, instead of his head. When she put it that way, his chest gave a painful twinge and a strange heat flooded his face.

"Oi! W-who says I li-" Natsu stuttered, but was abruptly cut off as Mira suddenly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him half way over the bar towards her.

"OhmygoshNatsu!" She looked at him with wide eyes now, worry all over her face, "What if Lucy has . . . _a date_?"

The blood drained from Natsu's face and he felt that pain in his chest again, as if someone had a fork in his chest and was twirling it like spaghetti. _A date?_ No. Lucy didn't go on dates. She complained about it, sure, but that was just to fit in with the other whining girls. They all sat around complaining about their love lives. That's just what girls do. Doesn't mean she actually _wanted_ to go on dates. If that was the case she could have easily gotten any guy to- NO. Not _any_ guy. Just let that ice bastard _try_ and take Lucy out on a date! Or the metalhead, or any guy in Fairy Tail for that matter. They were all nakama, sure, but that didn't make them good enough for Lucy.

He was shaken from his trance by Mira, still holding him with both hands by the front of his shirt and practically shouting. "What are we gonna DO, Natsu?" The pair were beginning to draw a lot of attention, and Levy joined the two at the bar, trying desperately to calm the situation. She had a pretty good idea what all the commotion was about, and knew her best friend would NOT want the whole guild knowing about her date.

"Hey, calm down you two!" she teased lightly, "You want the whole guild to think you are having some kind of lover's quarrel?" Nervous laughter filled the awkward silence as the two froze for a moment before jerking back to reality. Mira dropped Natsu back onto his seat and directed her attention to Levy. Natsu went back to nursing his drink, more grumpy than ever as he listened in to Mira and Levy's whispered conversation.

"You" Mira pointed a finger in Levy's face, "You know what Lucy's "plans" are, don't you?" The bluenette was suddenly regretting her decision to intervene. "Tell me, right now. Did Lucy turn down Natsu so she could go on a date with some other guy?" Mira's demonic side started to bleed through her sweet exterior as she spoke, causing Levy to throw her hands up in defence and lean away from her.

"I-it's not like it's h-happened before…" Levy stammered. Natsu spit his drink out again, this time turning his incredulous face toward the the shrimpy girl sitting next to him. "He has been really persistent a-and he seems really nice, not to mention handsome..." Levy sighed and smiled a little to herself. Natsu could see red eyes flash behind her, and knew that Gajeel's sensitive ears heard every word she was saying, and the iron dragon slayer didn't like her tone one bit.

"I m-mean, Lucy has been turning him down for weeks now, I guess he finally just wore her down." She smiled sheepishly at Natsu and Mira deflated a little, returning to her usual self again. "She actually seemed pretty excited about it this morning. We even went shopping for a special outfit for tonight!" She paused again, this time glancing at Mira, who was solemnly wiping out a dirty glass. "I know she didn't want everybody to know, because she was afraid we would try to follow her and spy on them. She wouldn't even tell me where or when they are going!" The solid-script mage looked a little miffed by this last fact and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mira sighed and said, "She does know us well…"

Natsu was being abnormally quiet, just staring into the bottom of his now empty mug. "Weeks…" he muttered to himself. "She has been turning down dates with this guys for _weeks_ , and I didn't even know." He looked up at Levy now, "What kind of friend am I? I thought-" he cut himself off, not wanting to voice what he was thinking. Some guy had been harassing her for a date for weeks and she hadn't trusted him enough to even tell him about it.

A petite hand patted him on the back comfortingly and Levy's gentle voice chimed in, "Hey, don't be upset that Lucy didn't tell you about Evan. The only reason I even found out about him was because he approached her while we we out book shopping the other day." She looked at Natus a little sadly, "I could tell something was going on between them, but she turned him down when he asked her to meet him for dinner. It took a lot of questioning and investigating for me to get the whole story. She didn't want to trust me with this either, you know."

This wasn't exactly comforting. If she hadn't been confiding in anybody, who would know if something went wrong? What did she really know about this guy? What if he tried something and Lucy got hurt? No. Lucy was strong, she could take care of herself. She had more than proven that over the course of their friendship. Still, he worried about the celestial spirit mage. Finally he came to a decision and abruptly stood from his seat at the bar.

"Natsu? Where are you going?" Levy asked, seemingly concerned about what he might do.

"Lucy's house," was all he said as he marched determinedly out the front doors of the guild, Mira suddenly perking up behind the counter.

"Yeah! Go get her, Natsu!" Mira called after him cheerfully, leaving Levy to stare after him in shock for a moment before a sly grin worked its way onto her face. "Maybe that goofball isn't so clueless after all." Both girls giggled and the doors to guild slammed shut behind it's fire dragon slayer.

Thank you for reading the first chapter of Mr. Brightside! Before you ask, yes, this story was inspired by the song by The Killers (especially the first few chapters). I already have a large chunk of the story written and my hope is to have everything finished before I go back to school on the 4th. I do not have a plan yet as to how quickly I will be releasing new chapters, but a lot will depend on how far I get with the rest of the story before my break is over, as well as how high demand is for new chapters. Please review and let me know what you think. It has been a long time since I have written anything like this, and I am pretty rusty. Also, I don't have a beta readers, so if you see anything that needs corrected let me know so I can fix it. Thank you, and hope to see you back for chapter 2!


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu wasn't sure how long he had stayed at the guild moping after Lucy had left, but it must have been longer than he realized. It was early evening now, and he was practically running through town to get to Lucy's apartment before she would be leaving for her date. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do when he got there, but he just knew he had to get there.

As he approached the building where his best friend lived, he noticed the windows to her apartment looked dark and he deflated a little. _She's already left,_ he thought to himself dejectedly. Still he decided to check anyway and jumped up to open the window she always left unlocked for him. He smirked a little as the window slid open easily and he climbed inside. _She complains about me coming in through the window all the time, but she could easily stop me if she really wanted to._ He closed the window quietly behind him as he called out to the darkened apartment, "Lucy?" He tip toed into the living room, a method he didn't usually utilize when entering his home away from home, and called again, "Lucy?"

Finding the apartment to be empty, Natsu sighed and flopped down on Lucy's couch. _Might as well wait for her._ He looked around the empty apartment and noticed the vase of fresh flowers sitting on her table. _Hmm, that's new,_ he thought absently. He glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned. If this date was going to be anything like Bisca and Alzack's dates, he had a long wait ahead of him.

Around 9:30, Natsu began to worry. Just how late did she intend to stay out with this guy? Is it normal for dates to last this long? At what point should he abandon his post on her couch and go out looking for her? Having no experience with dating himself, he tried to reassure himself that all dates must last this late and there was probably nothing to worry about.

About an hour later, Natsu began to drift off, boredom leading him toward sleep and the sweet time travel it could provide, speeding his journey into the future when Lucy would be home.

In his sleep, Natsu dreamed of Lucy. He dreamed about her smile and her golden hair and her warm, brown eyes. He dreamed of the first time they met and the adventures they had gone on together. He dreamed of how she had grown from a weak, inexperienced member of the guild to a seriously powerful mage who could not only hold her own, but defend her friends in battle. Lucy had had so much potential in her when they first met, and he had been lucky enough to be right there through every stage of her transformation. She went from "Lucky Lucy Heartfilia" to "Lucy of Fairy Tail," the most powerful celestial mage in all of Fiore, and vital founding member of Team Natsu. They had been through so much together, and then the dream shifted. He saw Lucy leaning in to kiss his cheek, and him redirecting her to his mouth. He saw himself deepening the kiss and her running her hands through his hair. Then he watched as Lucy showed off a sparkling ring on her left hand to the other girls at the guild. Time fast forwarded to Lucy in a white dress, Lucy in sexy lingerie, Lucy with a full round belly, Lucy with a little pink haired baby in her arms, smiling brightly at him with tears in her eyes.

He jerked awake to the sound of the lock in the door clicking and voices just outside it. Heart thudding in his chest as he tried to process both the vivid dreams he had just had (and what they all meant) as well as the reality that he was sitting on Lucy's couch and she was about to come through the door, possibly with another man! His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. _12:30!? What on Earthland could they_ possibly _have been doing until 12:30 in the morning!?_ Natsu was almost certain normal dates were not meant to last this late into the night. At least, not first dates…

The door creaked open and Natsu dove behind the couch, eyes peeking up over the edge to watch the silhouettes of Lucy and her date (what was his name? Devin? Eh, whatever) as they stood in the doorway.

"I had a really great time." Lucy practically whispered, crossing her feet and folding her hands behind her back (which to Natsu's annoyance made her chest stick out even more than usual and drew that creeps eyes down to her ample bosom). She looked up at him shyly and began to step further into her apartment. _Was she inviting him_ in _?_ Her date sure seemed to think so, and took a step toward her.

"The night doesn't have to end yet, you know." He took another step.

 _Oh. Hell. No._

Natsu was just about to jump up from his hiding place behind the couch when Lucy put a hand on the other man's chest. "Yes," she stated kindly, but firmly, "it does." She took another step back and was fully in her apartment now, leaving some space between the two. "I had a wonderful evening, but I'm tired, and I promised my friend we would would do a job together tomorrow." Natsu's heart was racing and inside he mentally cheered her on. _You tell 'im, Luce!_

"Can I see you again?" The taller shadow asked, as he leaned in a little closer to the celestial spirit mage.

"I think I'd like that." Lucy answered back sweetly. She tilted her head up to look at him again and he took the opportunity to steal a kiss. This time, Natsu really did shoot up from his place behind the couch and his heart dropped into his stomach as Lucy gasped and her body tensed in surprise. He took a step toward the pair, ready to rip this guy apart, for forcing himself on his best friend. But then something even worse happened. Lucy let out a little sigh and her body relaxed. Her hand returned to the other man's chest and Natsu's heart stopped. _She likes that he's kissing her? Lucy is_ okay _with this?_ It's a good thing Lucy hadn't turned the lights on yet, or his cover would have been completely blown. Ducking back behind the couch again he sat transfixed by the scene unfolding before him. His mind began to race as his dreams from just moments before came crashing back to his head before shattering in a million pieces. Those dreams could _never_ come true if Lucy fell in love with someone else.

Finally, Lucy pushed gently on what's-his-name's chest and backed away into her apartment, bringing the door in front of her body as she looked up at him one more time, "Goodnight, Evan."

"Goodnight, Lucy." As he stepped out of her doorway, and into the light outside her door, Natsu got the first real look at this creep's face. _Shit._ The guy wasn't bad looking, even Natsu could see that. He had dark hair that was neatly trimmed and styled, and a lean, muscular build. _I wonder if he's a mage? Maybe I should fight him?_ Natsu thought to himself as Lucy closed the door and turned to lean her back against it. She gave a giddy kind of sigh and giggled to herself, touching her lips with her fingertips.

At last, she flipped the lights on and ran across the room to look out the window. For the first time, Natsu could really see Lucy and the new dress she and Levy had picked out especially for this date. The dress was a deep red halter, that hugged every curve in all the right ways. The neckline of the red material would have been scandalously low, but thankfully a bit of white material with two rounded tops filled in the space, creating what appeared to be a heart right over the center of her chest (and actually making it a little more conservative than her usual attire). As Lucy waved to someone on the street below, Natsu's eyes traveled down to her waist, where a gold belt made up of interlocking hearts held her keys under a decorative floral clasp on her right hip. A slit that went almost as high as her keys were hanging revealed a good amount of her left leg as she moved away from the window, and in the direction of Natsu's current hiding spot.

 _Oh crap. Why did I think this would be a good idea? She is going to be SO mad._ Natsu cringed and hid his head under his arms as Lucy walked past the couch (and right past him) and straight into her bathroom. He slowly opened his eyes when he heard her turn the bath water on and then the unzipping of her dress. He gulped as his sensitive ears picked up the sound of the material sliding down her body and hitting the floor. Leaning forward, he listened as the faintest whisper of 3 soft clicks, followed by a light thud, indicated the removal of her bra. Those damn ears of his even picked up the soft rustle of her panties being shimmied down her legs and the gentle ripple of water as she stepped into the tub. It wasn't until she let out an almost sensual moan, as she settled into the water that Natsu became aware of just how snug his pants had gotten. _What the hell?_ He looked down and groaned at the state of his - ahem - person, before he could stop himself.

Water splashed as Lucy must have sat up suddenly in the tub and called out tentatively, "Hello?" a pause, "Is someone out there?" another pause. "Natsu, I _swear_ if you broke into my house again, you are a dead man!" More splashing water indicated that she was exiting the tub and Natsu's brain finally kicked it into high gear. He made a mad dash for the window and didn't even bother to shut it behind him. _She is going to_ kill _me tomorrow,_ he thought as he leapt down to the street and made his escape into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at the guild, Natsu sat slumped over the bar, nursing another mug of fiery liquid when Lucy finally sprang into the guild. Levy almost instantly appeared at her side and dragged her over to a table in a secluded corner of the guild. The girls giggled and whispered animatedly, as Lucy went over the details of her date. From what Levy had said yesterday, their conversation was probably meant to be secret...Too bad Natsu had super hearing.

"So," Levy probed, "how'd it goooo?"

"Oh, Levy, I don't know _why_ I put him off for so long. Evan is such a sweet guy." She sighed dreamily before continuing. "First, he picked me up at my house and brought me flowers."

"Awww!" Levy crooned.

"I know! And then he took me to _Le Mystique_ for dinner-"

"That fancy restaurant downtown?" Levy gasped in equal parts envy and awe, "It's nearly _impossible_ to get a table there! And SO expensive!"

"I know, and he even ordered the full, six-course meal!" Lucy was practically scream whispering now, and Levy had to shush her.

"Six courses!? How could anyone even eat that much food?" Levy wondered, amazed.

"Well, I know _someone_ who would have no trouble eating that much food." Natsu could practically hear Lucy rolling her eyes as she said this, and he couldn't stop the tiny grin that snuck its way onto his lips. "Anyway, so we had this unbelievable dinner and a really delicious bottle of wine-"

"You _drank_?" Levy gasped, "Lucy! You know how you get when you drink! Oh, _please_ tell me you did not let him take your clothes off." Levy groaned and covered her face in her hands, but Lucy just slapped her hands playfully and let out an irritated grunt. Natsu thought he would be sick for a moment as he imagined Lucy the last time she drank, and how clingy and flirty she had been. It was bad enough she acted like that around her trusted nakama, but the thought of her flirting and stripping her clothes off in front of another man was really making his stomach turn.

"Of course I didn't! Will you just let me tell the story?" Lucy whined, and Natsu let out a little breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Sorry, sorry," Levy replied, "Go on."

"So, anyway, after dinner, Evan took me for a long walk along the canal and we just talked about everything, holding hands the entire time!" she practically swooned at the last bit, but continued with her story. "Without really realizing it, we ended up in the park, and he led me under the big rainbow sakura tree that Na- I mean, _someone_ replanted there that first year I entered the guild." At this Natsu sat straight up on his stool as anger burned through every cell in his body. _That tree was MY gift to Lucy. It was OUR special place! Even if I never did tell her it was me who put it there, or that I did it for her…_ His anger dissolved as he realized he had no right to be angry. It was entirely his fault that that tree would have no special significance to Lucy. She had no idea that the tree belonged to her. That it belonged to _them._ He ordered another drink from Mira and slumped back over the bar as Lucy continued his story and Mira giggled at him.

"Oh, yeah! I remember that! Master Makarov was so mad about that!" Levy laughed and urged Lucy to continue.

"I remember. Oh Levy, it was SO romantic, and I haven't even gotten to the best part yet!" Lucy sounded like she might faint from the memory alone. Natsu paled as he thought to himself, _There's more? Jeez, what is this guy, some kinda love mage?_ He reached irritably for his mug as Levy said almost exactly what he had been thinking, though in more of a dreamy, curious way than the pissed off disbelief he had been feeling.

"When we got there, there was a string quartet set up and played the most beautiful music, and we danced and danced on the grass under the rainbow sakura tree." Lucy covered her cheeks with her hands and blushed all the way to the roots of her hair. Levy's jaw was dropped in disbelief, speechless. "And then we walked home hand in hand, and just as we were about to say goodnight . . . he kissed me."

Levy really did scream this time, and Lucy had to cover the other girl's mouth with one hand while holding a finger to her own lips with the other in order to quiet her friend down. Natsu wished he could scream too, though his would be one of frustration rather than excitement.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Natsu gagged on his drink when he heard Levy squeal, "Lucy! Your first kiss!" He could hear the petite girl bouncing up and down in her seat excitedly, and felt like his heart was keeping time to her little hops. "Tell, me everything! Was it everything you imagined it would be?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly what I expected," she paused and Natsu held a hopeful breath, "but it was perfect." she sighed and so did he. _Perfect._ "He was so gentle and sweet, and he didn't try to push me for anything more. Levy, I think I could really like this guy." That was when Natsu's heart finally cracked. All of that other stuff was discouraging, but just because the guy was good, didn't mean Lucy would _really_ like him. Surely it would take more than one lousy date to win Lucy's heart.

Except, the date hadn't been lousy. It had been wonderful. The guy took full advantage of the one shot he was given and had completely swept her off her feet. Natsu had had countless opportunities to do the same thing, but had always ignored the tugging he would get at his heart when he looked at her, and brushed it off as the strong affection one has for their _best friend_.

Levy's emphatic whisper snapped him from his own thoughts. "Oh, Lucy, that's wonderful. I'm so happy for you!" He could hear the smaller girl leap up to lean over the table and hug her friend. "It's about time you found a guy who treats you right!" _Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I always look out for Lucy and protect her! And I always listen when she talks, even when she is whining about her rent, or complaining about me destroying towns and stuff._

"So, when will you see him again?" Levy whispered excitedly.

"Well, I told Natsu we could go out on a job today, so probably whenever I get back from that." Lucy answered thoughtfully.

Natsu stood up from the bar then, and casually made his way over to the request board, an idea popping into his head. _Hmm...what's the longest job up here?_ He grinned as he reached up and pulled the one he wanted from the board and made his way to the table where Levy and Lucy were sitting. The girls were still whispering and giggling as he approached.

"Hey, Lucy!" He slammed the paper down on the table in front of her, causing both girls to jump, "You ready to go on a mission yet? I found a really good one!" He smiled that bright smile of his and Lucy looked down at the paper on the table.

"But Natsu, this job is on the other side of the kingdom! It will take _at least_ three days to get there and back, not to mention the time it will take to actually do this job!" She was looking up at him with wide eyes and a look of utter disbelief on her face. They had gone on jobs like this before, but usually they took the rest of Team Natsu on the longer missions like this one. This job was supposed to just be the two of them and Happy. Levy chuckled knowingly and shot the fire dragon slayer a look that said, "Smooth. No one will ever suspect you just wanted some _alone time_ with Lucy." Natsu glared at her and she looked away innocently.

Natsu looked back to Lucy pleadingly, "Please, Luce? The reward is really high and it sounds like an easy gig! All we gotta do is find some magic stone in the mountains and give it to some rich guy. Piece of cake!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and groaned, "Alright, but I need to go home and pack first. What time do you want to leave tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? You promised we could go on a job _today."_ Natsu whined

"I said _maybe_ tomorrow when you asked me yesterday, and I _never_ promised anything." Lucy put her hands on her hips as she stared him down. If she was going to be away from home for so long, she _at_ _least_ needed time to pack and get rested up. After her late night the night before, she wasn't exactly up to a long journey. But Natsu gave her those puppy dog eyes and lost her resolve. Sighing, she conceded, "Fine, I just need to tell Ev- er - everyone where I'm going so they don't worry when we don't come back for over a week."

Natsu caught her in her lie, but pretended he didn't know whose name she was about to say as he shot back with, "Mira will know when I officially accept the job, and Levy has been sitting here the whole time. She can tell everyone who wants to know." He looked across the guild hall to where Happy was sitting and chatting with Wendy and Charle. "Yo, Happy! You ready to work?"

The blue exceed leaped up from his seat at the table and shouted, "Aye, sir!" and flew over to sit on his best friend's shoulder. It took Happy all of .03 seconds to spot the blush spreading across Lucy's face as she tried to stammer out some excuse as to why they should wait until tomorrow to leave. "Hey, Lucy, why do you wanna wait to leave so bad? Do you have a date with your booooyfriiiennnd?"

All eyes turned to Lucy as the exceed's words echoed loudly through the guild hall. Lucy's whole face exploded in crimson and her entire body began to shake. "Haaaappyyyy…" Lucy growled, she really wanted to strangle that cat sometimes!

"Natsuuuu!" Happy cried, hiding behind his friend's back. "Lucy's going to boil me and eat me for dinner!"

The rest of the guild laughed as they realized Happy was just up to his usual antics teasing Lucy again, and went back to what they had been doing. Lucy, however, ground out between her teeth, "I'm going home. I will meet you at the train station in the morning."

"But-" Natsu began.

"In. The. Morning." Lucy turned on her heel and stormed out of the guild.

"Of all the things to tease her about, _why_ did you have to choose that?" Natsu groaned, looking over his shoulder at his other best friend exasperatedly.

"It's funny... Nobody would ever want to date _Lucy_! Even Aquarious says so!" Happy giggled to himself when his words made a certain dragon slayer blush, "Plus, did you see her reaction? I bet she was really embarrassed this time!"

Levy surprised both of them when she stood up angrily and snapped, "Happy, sometimes you can be a real jerk!" before running after Lucy.

Natsu and Happy stood frozen in place at the sweet girl's uncharacteristically harsh words. "I guess I owe Lucy an apology, huh?" Happy whispered dejectedly.

"Yeah," Natsu responded quietly, "I think you do."

-Author's Note-

Well, school has started back up and I did not finish the story. It was originally going to be just a couple of chapters, but then it just didn't feel finished so... long story short, I do have 9 chapters complete as of now, and plan to continue working on the story as much as possible. I hope you are enjoying the story, it IS a Nalu fic, but this is my first time writing these characters (and my first time writing anything in 4-5 years) and I am fairly new to this fandom, so forgive me if I do not do them justice. Please feel free to leave a review if you have suggestions for my writing. Since I've gotten married it is hard to find the time and focus to write, but I love it and want to get back into it. Thanks for reading and hope to see you back for chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

Natsu and happy were waiting at the train station when Lucy arrived. Despite the state she had left the guild in yesterday, she seemed cheerful and came running up to greet them. "Good morning!" she called out enthusiastically, a wide smile stretching from ear to ear.

Natsu wondered what could have happened in the last 20 or so hours since the celestial spirit mage had stormed out of the guild hall, but his thoughts were interrupted when Happy suddenly bolted from his shoulder and into Lucy's arms.

"Oh, Lucy!" Happy sobbed, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings yesterday! I know you are sensitive about not having a boyfriend. I was only trying to embarrass you!"

Natsu could see Lucy's eye twitch, and her smile turned sour as she made a fist with her right hand. "Is that supposed to be an apology, cat?" she practically growled at the blue exceed.

"Huh?" Happy raised his watery eyes from Lucy's chest, only to receive a sound _thump_ to the head. "Wahhh! Natsuuu, Lucy's gonna beat me with her big, manly hands!" Happy dove behind the dragon slayer once again trying to hide.

"What was that!?" Lucy screamed and leaped toward the little twerp, trying to get her hand around his little twerp neck. "I'll show you big, manly hands!" She lunged for him again, but he dodged out of the way and Lucy lost her balance as she tried to reach him before he could escape. Natsu, being directly between his fighting friends, tried to keep Lucy from hitting the ground and ended up going down with her. The resulting position had Lucy laying on top of him, their faces only inches apart. Both teenagers blushed, but neither made a move to get up until Happy chimed in, "Ohhhh, Natsuuuu! Lucy liiiiikes you!" He giggled and covered his mouth with his paws as he flew away to find a hiding spot on the train.

Lucy jumped up angrily and began to chase after the little blue furball, abandoning all illusions of being civilized or lady-like. Natsu on the other hand got up slowly and put a hand to his chest, feeling the racing of his heart. After a moment, he looked down at his trembling hand and noticed Lucy's bag laying on the ground beside him. He snorted as he picked it up and flung the bag over his shoulder before heading off to join his friends on the train.

 _WHY DID I CHOOSE A JOB WITH A 3 DAY TRAIN RIDE?_ Natsu groaned in complete agony at his idiotic plan. All he had been thinking of was keeping Lucy away from her new _boyfriend_ (his mind spat the word distastefully in his head) for as long as possible. He had completely ignored the obvious problem of reaching such a far-away job location and was paying dearly for his oversight now, and would have to pay again on the way home. _This magic stone better be impossible to find, or else I'm going to spend more time sick, than actually working!_ Natsu gagged and rolled off the seat onto the floor in front of Lucy. She gasped and he tried to look up at her, only to get a perfect view of her panties as she stood up to move in his direction. _Maybe this won't be so bad afterall._ He thought as she sat down on the floor next to him and brushed the hair out of his face soothingly.

"Oh, Natsu, didn't you think about the train ride when you chose this mission?" She adjusted to make herself as comfortable as possible and gently lifted his head into her lap. "You really are an idiot sometimes." she cooed affectionately.

Happy snickered from his seat and Lucy glared daggers at him. "Not a word, cat," she spat. Happy didn't say anything but continued to cover his mouth gleefully with his paws. Deciding to ignore the annoying little giggle-box in the corner, Lucy directed her attention back to the suffering dragon slayer in her lap. He turned his head to face her stomach and her face warmed as she continued to gently smooth the sweaty hair from his face. "Try to sleep Natsu, it's a long way til the next stop." The pink-haired boy nodded his head and was beginning to drift off, when Lucy did something she had never done before. She leaned back and sang him a lullabye. The sweet sound of her soft voice filled the cabin, and Natsu felt his heart swell.

He'd had _no idea_ Lucy could sing. First the guy who had been harassing her for weeks, and now this hidden talent. What _else_ did he not know about his best friend? Even after all they had been through together, there were still things he didn't know about her.

As the song ended, Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist and snuggled into the fabric of her shirt. She tensed in surprise at his actions, apparently having thought he was asleep. He wanted to say something, anything to let her know how amazing she was, and how thankful he was that she was in his life, but every time he tried to open his mouth, he ran the risk of losing his breakfast all over her and ruining the moment. Lucy smiled down at him as she continued to stroke his hair, "I thought I told you to get some sleep?" Suddenly she jerked back and looked at him worriedly, "Did my singing bother you? I'm so sorry! I just thought-"

Natsu managed to shake his head, but could not seem to get the words out. "You have a really pretty voice, Lucy," Happy stated in wonder, Natsu nodded his head in her lap,causing Lucy to blush, and Happy asked, "Will you sing it again?" Natsu nodded harder, begging her as best he could, for another song.

"You really liked it?" Lucy asked, surprised. Both companions nodded, and Happy even added a, "Pretty please?" and Lucy giggled a little and gave in. How could she deny such sweet faces (even if one of them was a sickening shade of green at the moment).

The friends relaxed as Lucy repeated her song, and Natsu wondered about the things he didn't know about his best friend. _I want to know everything about you, Lucy Heartfilia._ His last, hazy thought before finally drifting off to sleep.

It was dark outside the window of their train cabin when Natsu woke up, no longer feeling queasy. _We must have stopped._ The pink-haired fire mage looked up from his place on the floor to find himself still in the lap of a now sleeping celestial spirit mage. Reaching up a hand to brush the blonde hair from her face, much like she had done for him, the boy smiled to himself at what a brilliant plan this was turning out to be after all.

"You loooove her." Happy taunted quietly from his seat, snickering behind his tiny blue paws.

Caught for a moment between surprise and irritation, Natsu let out a breath

and sighed, "Yeah, I do." Once more, the fire dragon slayer smoothed the hair from the sleeping girl's face as Happy's jaw nearly detached from his face. _That shut him up._ He smirked as he picked himself up off the floor, thankful that the train was stopped, no matter what the reason was.

Careful not to wake her, Natsu lifted his sleeping friend and laid her down across the seat she had been leaning on. Knowing the train would probably start moving again any minute, Natsu sat down next to Happy and just looked at the beautiful blonde in front of him. He had always thought Lucy was pretty, but had never really taken time to appreciate just _how beautiful_ she actually was. Ever since the other night, when he had seen her in that dress, had seen the way she glowed after receiving her first kiss, had listened to her moan as her bare skin sank into the warm bath water, something had awoken in him that he couldn't put a name to until Happy called him out on it.

 _Love._ Natsu leaned back in his seat and smiled wistfully to himself. _I'm in love with my best friend._ The smile grew. _I love Lucy Heartfilia!_ His chest expanded almost painfully and then suddenly deflated with a dull *pop* _And she is going out with someone else. Someone she really likes._ Natsu felt the train begin to lurch forward and he fell onto the seat so he was laying sideways, still looking at Lucy.

 _What am I going to do?_

 _-Author's Note-_

 _As I was writing this chapter, I imagined Lucy singing_ "Sleepsong" by Secret Garden Album: "Earthsongs"

Vocalist: Fionnuala Gill.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I haven't been updating regularly. Between "Testing season" at school and low reader interest in this story, it has been hard to find time/inspiration to sit down and write. I'm very out of practice when it comes to writing for fun, so there's that too...I had planned to make this story a lot longer, but at this point I think it may be better to wrap this up quickly and just start a new project this summer. If anyone is actually reading this, thank you! I hope you enjoyed it so far, but if not I am interested in any constructive criticism you may have for me.

Two more agonizing days of train rides later, the trio finally arrived at their destination. Natsu stumbled off the train, leaning heavily on Lucy, and immediately fell to the ground, kissing the pavement and trying as best he could to give all of Earthland a hug. Lucy and happy watched in amusement as the mighty dragon slayer lay in a heap on the ground before struggling to find his feet again.

"We are NEVER doing that again!" Natsu declared emphatically.

Lucy giggled, "Sorry to burst your bubble there, big-shot, but we will have to eventually if we want to get home."

"Nu-uh! No way. I'll walk home!" Natsu argued.

"Yeah, okay, see ya in a few years when you manage to find your way back then." Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes, "Come on, Natsu, we've got a job to do!" She grabbed him by the front of his coat and dragged him along behind her as they made their way out of the train station.

A few hours later, the crew of three were leaving the house of the man who had ordered the job, and feeling a little less confident about completing the mission they had agreed to do.

What the flyer failed to mention was that the magic stone was in some ruins at the top of one of the mountains (no idea which one either) and was likely filled with booby traps and surrounded by vicious beasts.

The vicious beasts, Natsu could handle, but finding a hidden temple in the mountains and avoiding booby traps? Not his idea of a good time. "Some help that guy was," Natsu grumbled, "He doesn't even know which mountain this thing is on!" He continued walked with his hand flung behind his head in annoyance until Lucy cried out behind him.

"I've got it! Open, gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!" The old mustachioed cross appeared in a puff of smoke and bowed toward his master.

"What can I do for you, miss Lucy?"

"Crux, What can you tell us about an ancient temple hidden in the western Mountains?" asked eagerly.

"Good thinking, Luce!" Natsu cheered. This is what made them such a good team. She had the brains, he had the brawn. She had the charm, he had intimidation. Between the two of them, they could do just about anything!

Lucy flashed one of her brilliant smiles his way and the celestial spirit appeared to doze off. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and responded, "There are legends of a temple hidden atop the highest mountain of Fiore's western mountains. Originally, it was said to have been the home of the Infinity clock, but was later abandoned after the clock was dismantled and scattered across the land."

"That's great, Lucy! Now we know where to start looking!" Natsu pumped a fist in the air excitedly as Lucy thanked, the Southern Cross spirit, and began to close his gate, when the old guy chimed in again.

"Wait! There's more. After the temple was abandoned, there were rumors of demons using the temple to try and revive the dark wizard, Zeref. Many believe these demons were themselves from the books of Zeref." The celestial spirit paused for a moment before continuing, "Miss Lucy, You must be especially careful this time. If the stories are true, you face more danger here than ever before. Even Acnologia has been unable to destroy Zeref." And with that the old guy returned to the spirit world in a puff of smoke.

The three remaining mages, stood frozen in place for long moments, each one lost in their own thoughts.

At last Happy broke the silence. "Maybe we should have brought Gray and Erza with us. Maybe even Wendy and Gajeel." He paused to look over his two closest friends, "No offence guys, but I don't think we can do this on our own."

"Yeah, this job is turning out to be way more difficult than it seemed at first. It probably should have been an S-class level quest." Lucy sounded equal parts worried and disappointed. She really hated giving up.

"What are you guys goin' on about?" Natsu chimed in determinedly, "All we gotta do to complete the job is get some stone from an old-ass, _abandoned_ temple and bring it back with us! And if we run into trouble, we'll just do what we always do and beat the crap out of 'em!" He held up a fist and patted his bicep, "Just thinkin' 'bout it has me all fired up!" The fire mage's wide smile was infectious, and soon all three were grinning like idiots, chattering away as they headed in the direction of the tallest mountain.

"Natsu, let's stop here for a while and rest," Lucy whined. They had been traveling for hours and climbing for what must have been about half as long. "It's starting to get dark, and we need to set up shelter for the night." Her stomach chose that moment to announce its feeling on the matter as well, and Lucy groaned. "Plus, I'm starving!"

"I guess this place is as good as any," Natsu replied, turning back to face Lucy. He began setting up a tent, while Lucy started pulling up food from her bag and Happy flew around gathering some wood so Natsu could start a fire.

Pretty soon they had set up camp and were enjoying their dinner around a nice fire. When they had finished, the three friends sat talking about the mission and planning the next day's journey. Eventually Happy let out a loud yawn and flew into Lucy's lap.

"Lucy, will you sing me a song again?" Happy begged sweetly. Natsu looked hopefully in the pair's direction, but didn't say anything.

Blushing, Lucy responded, "Happy, that was just a one time thing. I don't really-"

"Pleeeease?" the little exceed's wide eyes pleaded with her as he begged. "You sang for Natsu. Why won't you sing for me?" There it was. Damn, sneaky cat. Natsu chuckled to himself at his devilish friend's cleverness. He certainly knew how to get what he wanted.

Lucy turned about 6 shades redder and stammered, "I- i-it was not for Natsu! I just felt like singing before!" She stole a glance at the fire mage then and when their eyes met, he spoke up.

"Aw, come on, Luce, you have a nice voice." He flashed her that smile of his and added, "Besides, how often does Happy beg for something other than fish?"

That got a chuckle out of her, and she looked back to the blue cat affectionately, stroking his head. "You really want me to?" He nodded vigorously. "And you promise you won't tease me about it? I'm not exactly fond of singing in front of people."

Happy was just about to say something, but Natsu beat him to it. "He won't tease you, Luce." He looked pointedly at Happy then, as if to say, _you'll regret it if you do._ "Go on."

"O-okay." Lucy closed her eyes and blew out a breath, her song starting softly. Her voice, clear and calming. Natsu was not very good with words, but if a sound could sparkle, Lucy's voice most certainly would.

About half way through the song, Lucy finally opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. Natsu couldn't take his eyes off of her and was thankful she hadn't looked his way yet. Heart pounding in his chest, he closed his eyes, remembering the dream he'd had just a few nights ago in Lucy's apartment. He pictured himself leaning over to kiss his best friend, her gasping in surprise, and him taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Looking over at her again, he saw that her eyes were closed again as she continued the song. It would be so easy to just lean over and kiss her. Hapy was already dozing off anyway, it would be so perfect.

Except... _Evan._

 _She already has a boyfriend. It wouldn't be right to kiss he now. She already has somebody else._

Forcing his eyes away from the celestial spirit mage, he gazed into the fire, listening intently to the rest of her song.

At last, Lucy opened her eyes and looked down at the now snoring ball of fur in her lap. Smiling, she rubbed his head lovingly and glanced up at Natsu. He was still gazing into the fire, lost in his own thoughts. They sat that way for a while, neither one speaking or moving, until Lucy finally let out yawn and said, "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night."

She stretched her arms over her head and stood, carrying Happy in her arms. Natsu turned his attention to his two companions. "Right behind ya," he drawled as he too moved in the direction of the only tent they brought.

"Uh, where do you think you're going?" Lucy shot back, eyebrows raised in alarm.

"Uh, to the tent? I'm pretty tired too, ya know," he crossed his arms defensively over his chest as he stared her down.

"Just because we only have one tent does NOT mean we are going to share it! You should have brought your OWN tent!" she hissed at him.

"That IS my tent!" Natsu argued with a smirk, "Maybe YOU should have brought YOUR own tent!"

Lucy's face got all red again and this time she stuttered when she spoke. "I-I m-must h-have forgotten it when I was packing. I was so-" she cut herself off mid sentence and steeled herself for her next one. "Natsu, can I please sleep in your tent?"

Natsu grinned and moved his hands behind his head. "Of course you can, Luce! I don't mind sharin'."

Lucy's jaw dropped as Natsu pushed past her and into the tent. She just stood there, frozen in place for a while, until Natsu popped his head out of the tent and said, "Oh come on, It's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before! I sleep over at your place all the time!"

"B-b-but, that's different!" she choked out. "I never- You always- This is-"

"Just get in here and go to sleep already. It's not like I'm gonna molest you or anything." He rolled his eyes and returned to the interior of the little shelter they would soon be sharing. He played it off like it was nothing, and before a few days ago it really would have been, but as he waited for Lucy to join him, flashes of Lucy in her sexy lingerie filled his head, causing his heart to beat faster.

 _Maybe this isn't such a good idea…_

The entrance to the tent slid open at that moment as Lucy made her way into the tent, a sleeping Happy still curled up in her arms. Not making eye contact with Natsu, she shuffled into her sleeping bag next to him and pulled the cover up to her chin. Happy crawled down to sleep by her feet. Clearing her throat, Lucy rolled over on her side (facing away from the temptingly warm fire dragon slayer less than a foot away) and whispered, "Goodnight, Natsu."

"G'night, Luce," he whispered back, also rolling to face away from the girl beside him. He inhaled deeply and basked in Lucy's comforting scent, quickly submitting to sleep and the possibility of sweet dreams.

 _Oh, yeah, this was definitely a good idea._

-Autho's Note-

While writing this chapter, I imagined Lucy singing "Fairy Nightsongs" from the

Album: Fairy HeartMagic

Released on: 2000-08-07

Writer, Composer: Gary Stadler

Writer, Composer: Stephannie Scott


	6. Chapter 6

The dreams started off pleasant enough. Team Natsu on another adventure, kicking ass and taking names. Everybody laughing and having a good time together, that is, until _he_ showed up.

As the team made their way back into the guild hall, a new member ran up and grabbed Lucy, swinging her around in circles, both of them giggling excitedly. As he lowered her back down to the ground, he also lowered his lips to hers and the two shared an embarrassingly passionate kiss. Right in the middle of the guild hall!

"Hahaha! Get a room you two!" Canna cheered drunkenly from the side of the room.

Lucy didn't even blush as she broke off the kiss and fired back, "No need to be jealous, Canna, I'm sure there is someone out there for you too!" Laughing, Lucy grabbed Evan by the hand and led him over to a table in a far corner of the guild, ignoring the whistles and catcalls from other members of the guild.

Natsu forced himself to look away, but only found himself outside her bedroom window, unable to turn away as she put a hand to the other man's chest and began to tug him toward her bed.

 _I can't watch this._ He felt his stomach heave at the sight of Lucy lifting her arms so that bastard could take off her dress (she was wearing that red one from the other night). His breath caught as the two tumbled onto her bed, Lucy pinned beneath the other man's weight. His heart stopped when he heard her gasp the other man's name. His world shattered when the name was followed by, "I love you."

 _How did it end up like this?_ Natsu clutched at his heart and struggled to breathe. He was dying. It was literally killing him to watch the girl he loved make love to someone else. _How did I let this happen? Lucy! I'm sorry I was an idiot! Please, don't do this! Look at me!_ He was pounding on her window now, but she couldn't hear him. _This is wrong,_ Natsu panted. _This is wrong! Lucy is - !_

Natsu jerked awake, breathing hard, heart beating wildly in his chest. Taking in his surroundings frantically, he found himself wrapped around the girl of his dreams (or in this case, nightmares), who snuggled against him in her sleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Natsu pulled her closer to him so that he could rest his chin on the top of her head. _It was all in my head,_ he told himself, _just a dream._

"Lucy is gonna be soooo mad if she wakes up." Happy teased from his place at the girl's feet.

Natsu jumped, nearly waking the sleeping celestial mage in the process. Carefully removing himself from his position wrapped around his best friend, Natsu silently got up and left the tent, Happy hot on his heels.

"You're acting really weird, Natsu," Happy spoke seriously for a change, "What's the matter?"

"I dunno, Happy," Natsu sighed, "Ever since Lucy went on that date, I've been...I dunno." He ran his hands through his pink hair, frustrated. "Something's wrong with me, and I don't know how to fix it."

"You really _do_ love her, don't you?" Happy asked in awe. He had known for a long time, but he had been beginning to think Natsu would never actually come to terms with it.

"What am I going to do, Happy? She really likes this guy. I can't tell her how I feel now. It wouldn't be fair to her."

This was so unlike Natsu. Normally he would just say whatever came into his mind, unabashed and straightforward. Happy said as much to his best friend, trying to encourage him that honesty was always the best policy and it wasn't fair to keep it from her.

"If I had realized any of this just a little sooner, and if I didn't know what I know, I would agree with you, Happy, but-"

Just then the subject of their conversation stepped out of the tent, yawning and stretching her arms over her head. "Good morning, everyone!" she sang cheerfully, "You two are up awfully early! Everything okay?"

Happy opened his mouth to respond, but Natsu beat him to it. "Just ready to get going and find this temple! Too bad you sleep like a rock, or we could have left already."

Natsu was intentionally trying to get under Lucy's skin, in an attempt to pretend everything was normal. And as far as she knew, they were.

Lucy, however, ignored his jabs in favor of preparing something for breakfast. "Yeah, yeah, a girl needs her beauty sleep you know. Besides, it still early, we've got plenty of time." She looked over her shoulder to look back at him. "Do you want an apple or a bagel for breakfast?" She held the two items up, ready to toss whatever he chose his way.

"What about me?" Happy whined, "Don't I get anything?"

"I know what you want, Happy! No need to even ask you." Lucy tossed the little blue exceed a small can of sardines, "I know it's not fresh, but I didn't want everything in my bag smelling like fish, so…"

"Thanks, Lucy! You're the best!" Happy chirped, digging in to his breakfast.

"I'll have the Bagel, Luce." Natsu caught the bread and immediately set it on fire. "Toasted." He grinned and gulped down the now hot, crunchy bread in seconds flat, still hungry, but knowing they would need to conserve food. Who knew how long they would be on the hunt for that temple in these mountains?

Lucy also made quick work of her breakfast, and soon the three Fairy Tail wizards were packed and on the move again.

Conversation was at a minimum as the trio made their way up the mountain, each member of the group focused on climbing the increasingly steep cliffs ahead of them.

Suddenly, Lucy's foot slipped as she was reaching for the next handhold and she lost her balance. Before she knew it she was falling and Natsu's heart stopped. _Why did I climb ahead of her? I should have -_

Just as he was about to let go of his own hold on the rocky cliff, he looked down and had to blink a few times to really register what he saw.

There, standing in the snow beneath them was Evan, arms out to catch the falling celestial mage. _How the hell?_

" _Gotchya!" Evan cried out as he caught Lucy effortlessly in his arms, a bright smile lighting up his entire face._

" _Evan!?"_ Lucy gasped, "How did you- ? Wh-what are you doing here!?"

"Well, I just so happen to be on a job of my own. You said you were going to be gone for a while, so I thought, might as well do a big job so I can earn some money too." He winked at her and her cheeks flushed pink.

"But I thought you weren't part of any guild? How could you take a job request?" Lucy asked as he lowered her feet to the ground.

He shrugged, "I joined a guild." Pulling the glove off his left hand, Evan revealed a deep blue Fairy Tail mark.

"You joined Fairy tail!?" Lucy screeched, causing Natsu to fall and Evan to laugh.

"Well, yeah! I told you that was why I came to Magnolia in the first place." He paused, "But then I met you on my way to the guild and decided I wouldn't join until I got you to go out with me." He smiled again, this time making steam roll off Lucy's face, she was blushing so hard.

Something snapped. Natsu jumped up and marched right over, pushing himself between the sickening couple and going nose to nose with the newest member of Fairy Tail. "New member, eh?" The devilish grin and flash in his eyes gave away his next words before he even had to say them, "Fight me!"

Lucy sputtered. Evan just laughed and threw his hands up. "I'm really not much of a fighter. More of a lover actually." His gaze slid over to the blonde as he said the last bit, setting off a chain reaction that had Lucy burying her face in her hands while Happy snickered behind his paws.

Natsu swung suddenly at Evan, and nearly face planted when he came in contact with thin air. _Where did he go?_ Was all he could think before an insanely high pitched screech had him covering his sensitive ears on the ground. He didn't even see the the kick coming before it got him square in the gut, leaving him gasping for breath. _Wh-what just happened?_

"Sorry, pal, I know I said I'm not much of a fighter, but I can't have you showing me up in front of my girl!" the taller man laughed and put an arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"Your wha-!?" Natsu and happy cried in unison.

"Oh," he looked down at the blushing blonde and whispered, "Was I not supposed to say anything yet?" to his credit, he did look _a little_ embarrassed.

"No, it's okay," Lucy sighed, "they were going to find out eventually anyway." She looked down at the dumbstruck fire mage and his flying cat, "Natsu, Happy, this is Evan Starsong...my boyfriend."

 _It's official. Lucy Heartfilia has a boyfriend._ For some reason her using the title made it all the more...real. Before it was just one date. Just one -gulp- kiss. But the term _boyfriend_ indicated that there would be _more dates._ More _kisses._ More...everything.

Natsu had to literally shake the visions from last night's nightmare from his mind as he tried to stand back up and somehow act like he would have if this had happened a week ago. He plastered a wide grin on his face and held out his hand, "Natsu Dragneel, nice ta meetchya!" the two boys shook hands, "What kind of magic was that anyway?"

"Well, I'm actually a sound mage, but I have figured out a way to use sound as a kind of teleportation. So, when I saw you take a swing at me, I just turned myself into sound waves and dodged the attack." He really did look embarrassed now, rubbing his hand on the back of his head.

"That's amazing, Evan! You didn't tell me you could do that!" Lucy shouted excitedly.

He smiled shyly, "Yeah, well, I know what powerful mages you usually hang around with. I couldn't even begin to compare to that."

"Are you kidding? That was incredible! You took down Natsu without even breaking a sweat! Erza is the only other person I have EVER seen do that!" the girl practically had stars in her eyes as she looked at Mr. tall, dark, and handsome.

 _That's IT._ Natsu assumed a fighting stance. "He cheated! Just caught me off guard is all. I demand a rematch!"

"Haha, some other time, Salamander. I do have a job to do after all."

"Oh, yeah! What is your job, anyway? And how did you get here so fast? You hadn't even joined the guild yet when I saw you before we left." Lucy chimed in, curiosity taking over.

Natsu clenched his fist, his irritation growing by the second.

"I went straight to the guild after seeing you off that morning. Your blue haired friend, Levy, vouched for me." There was that stupid smile again. _Maybe if I knock out a few of his teeth he won't smile so damn much…_ "Once I was in, I went straight for the request board and looked for a job I thought might take up most of the time you would be gone." He grabbed a strand of her golden hair and let it slide through his fingers, "And I found this one searching for some magic stone and destroying it. So I used my teleportation magic to get here and I've been out searching the area for the hidden temple this thing is supposed to be in since yesterday morning."

"Wait, you've already been out here searching other mountains?" Happy gawked, "You're really fast!"

"Speed of sound, actually, so yeah, I guess I am." He was really playing up the modest act, scratching his face with one hand and looking ridiculously awkward.

 _What a loser. No way Lucy falls for this._ Natsu rolled his eyes and looked over at Lucy out of the corner of his eye. The smile on her face told him he couldn't be more wrong. _She's eating this up! C'mon, Luce! Snap out of it!_

"Wait, you said you are searching for a magic stone in a hidden temple in these mountains?" the wheels were turning in Lucy's head as she spoke. "WE are looking for a magic stone in a hidden temple in these mountains too! Are we after the same thing?"

"Sounds like it! Maybe we should stick together and help each other out."

 _Yeah, right!_ "Not happening, pal. How do we know you won't just destroy the stone as soon as we find it? You said that was your job, right? Well ours is to deliver it to the one who hired us, and we don't get paid if we don't deliver." Natsu was adamant.

"Well, I see your point, but ultimately I just took this job to pass the time. The money would be nice, but I have a pretty good amount saved up already." He shrugged, "So, I don't really mind if it means I get to spend time with Lucy.

Natsu started to protest, but Lucy was too quick. "You are so sweet, Evan! Your skills could really come in handy, on this one. Plus, the reward is huge, so if we manage to complete this job we would happily split our earnings with you." She looked pointedly at Natsu. "Wouldn't we, Natsu."

The fire mage just glared back at her for a minute before rolling his eyes and grumbling a, "Yeah, whatever" at her.

Lucy beamed and began filling Evan in on what they had learned so far. The two chattered happily away, walking arm in arm in front of Natsu and Happy.

 _This is going to be the longest mission ever._

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

Author's Note:

I hope you liked the chapter! I already have the next few chapters written, but I am trying to wrap up the story quickly from my current point in the story. I thought about re-writing this chapter and the rest of the story without Evan, but I really like writing a jealous Natsu, even if he is a little OOC. Replacing Evan with Loke just didn't give the same feeling. Sorry, Loke fans, I just don't think at this point in the story that Natsu would feel very threatened by Loke (especially since Loke was not the one that Natsu caught kissing Lucy in the second chapter). As always, let me know what you think, good or bad. Constructive criticism is always welcome!


End file.
